Corneal Transplant for Fuch’s Corneal Dystrophy?

i have Fuch’s corneal dystrophy. i was diagnosed 13 years ago. i am 55. my vision is very poor in right eye. there are two surgery options. corneal transplant and replace the corneal cells. which is the best? my left eye has 20/40 vision and will need surgery in a year.

Comments

I just had DMEK on 9/30/14 and I am seeing clearer and better than I have in
years from my left eye. I go back in a week for a second check-up. I was able to
see very small letters on the eye chart a week after surgery. There was no pain or
swelling.

Dr. Ari Weitzner

on July 24, 2010 9:21 pm

it can sometimes be hard to figure out how much vision loss is from the amd and how much from the fuch’s.i guess you will just have to rely on the doctor’s clinical judgment as to when it would be worthwhile to pursue the transplant- what we don’t want is to do the transplant and not having you see significantly better. perhaps a second opinion would be helpful- but make sure it’s not a surgeon who does the surgery, as he may be biased.

Carol Wise

on July 19, 2010 9:02 pm

I have Fuchs corneal dystrophy and macular degeneration. My Dr. is not sure which condition is causing a blurry spot in the upper left central vision of my right eye. I was told I have dry macular degeneration and that if my cornea gets much worse I can have a transplant. So do I just wait to not be able to see until it gets much, much worse?

Erv Galecki

on February 26, 2010 1:23 am

I underwent cataract surgery and corneal transplant 5 weeks ago (since I have or had Fuch;s Dystrophy). This latest DSEK procedure took only 45 minutes and was completely painless. The corneal endothelial cells from the donor { enclosed in a thin strip} was placed on the area of the removed cells and held in place by an air bubble which disappears in 48 hours. I’m extremely happy with total experience. I was able to see letters from a chart I made within a week. Today I can see almost as much as my normal eye. I’m told that vision is restored within 3 to 6 months. I feel that I have advanced at a much greater pace. With all the proper drops, I have had no swelling, no redness or discomfort. I am 77 years old and only missed 2 weeks of
golf. I say find an excellent surgeon and go for it!!

Dr. Ari Weitzner

on November 24, 2009 6:54 pm

dsaek/dlek and related procedures (replacing the critical layer of cells) is far superior to traditional corneal transplant. its fairly new, so seek out an experienced surgeon outside your community if necessary- it’s well worth the trip.

It has a wealth of information on Fuchs, surgeons around the country and procedures. I too have this condition and hopefully have a few years before I will need a transplant.

You mention two procedures. There are three that I know of, full thickness transplant, DSAEK and DMEK. DMEK is the latest procedure and I think has only been used by a few docs in the U.S. but it sounds very promising.